(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has come forward to explain the backlash behind her attendance at the funeral of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, where she faced scolding remarks from a grieving family member who also asked her to leave.
In an interview with Politico, Hochul recounted her perspective on the altercation that transpired during the wake.
“We were told the family is welcoming. We always check, and they said to come, and I went. And no one told me to leave,” Hochul claimed, as recounted by the New York Post. Expressing no remorse for her presence at the wake, Hochul claimed: “That’s my job.”
According to the Post, an uncle of the slain NYPD officer did not mince words when meeting Hochul at the wake: “He said, ‘We don’t want you here. You’re not wanted here. You have blood on your hands. If you want to do something, change the bail laws,’” the Post reported, citing a source.
During a separate discussion on Rev. Al Sharpton’s MSNBC show, Hochul acknowledged the Diller family’s frustration with New York City’s lenient crime policies, which many correctly believe have contributed to rampant lawlessness.
“Understandably there’s anger about how these individuals could commit crimes over and over and are back out on the street again,” she conceded to Sharpton.
🚨NEW: Gov. Kathy Hochul says she “understands” why slain NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller’s family is
“outraged”She says she wasn’t asked to leave the hero cop’s wake, despite being told, ‘his blood is on your hands.’
“Understandably there’s anger about how these individuals… pic.twitter.com/4M0wK770u6
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) March 30, 2024
Diller lost his life in Queens, while performing a traffic stop on Monday. As he and his colleagues approached a vehicle allegedly parked illegally, the driver and passenger reportedly opened fire, fatally injuring Diller. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.
The alleged shooter, 34-year-old Guy Rivera, faces charges including first-degree murder of a police officer, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Shockingly, Rivera had been arrested 21 times prior to the fatal encounter with Diller.
In the exchange of gunfire, Diller’s partner injured Rivera. Upon examination at the hospital, a shiv was discovered in Rivera’s rectum, as reported by the Post. Reportedly anticipating an imminent arrest on an unrelated charge, Rivera confessed to intending to use the weapon to protect himself while in custody.
As authorities pursue charges against Lindy Jones, a 41-year-old associated with Rivera, for a second firearm allegedly found in the vehicle, Stephanie Diller, Jonathan Diller’s widow, delivered a heartfelt eulogy during the funeral service.
“With every hug that I’ve received, I just picture each one is from Jonathan,” she said. “He could always make me laugh, and that was one of the things I love most about him.”
Diller’s one-year-old son will now grow up without his father.
JUST IN: Widow of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller delivers emotional speech, blasts New York City for not protecting the police.
Diller’s wife Stephanie says her husband died a hero and lived as one too.
“My husband died a hero, but he always lived as one.”
“He was always… pic.twitter.com/FFrfx3zyod
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 30, 2024
